SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1400 Title : Catfirth willow Author(s): James Hiddo Moncrieff Copyright holder(s): James Hiddo Moncrieff Text Willow root moves Slipping against wet shale And the crumbling moor Seeking a grip on the bedrock The exposed edge of the burn. Moved by ice and snow And bitter wind Willow, torn from its shallow root In the last of Winter's gales, Laid on its side To nest in the grass. Amongst the fern New buds burst from the bark And rise above the bluebells The white narcissi And the remnant green of daffodil As the tired branch Dips its face in the peaty spate and froth Of a swirling pool Tumbling to the sea. The voices of children played Long into the night The new cut grass Sniffed at the breeze And the sycamore stirred The ghost of a seagull passed Cutting the sky With its silence Midnight and the horizon Still glowed Despite the black iron Of the hills Cast against the cold face Of the moon And my steps Were hollow footprints On the path from the gate. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): General public: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Wordprocessed Year of composition: 2005 Word count: 163 Text medium Magazine (e-zine): Text publication details Published: Publication year: 2005 Place of publication: Shetland Part of larger text: Contained in: The New Shetlander Editor: Laureen Johnson and Brian Smith Page numbers: 20 Text setting Journalism: Text type Poem/song/ballad: Author Author details Author id: 972 Forenames: James Hiddo Surname: Moncrieff Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: College Age left school: 19 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Working class/Socialist Occupation: Retired Place of birth: Lerwick Region of birth: Shetland Birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Bigton Region of residence: Shetland Residence CSD dialect area: Sh Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Telegraphist Father's place of birth: Lerwick Father's region of birth: Shetland Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Sh Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife Mother's place of birth: Loppersum Mother's region of birth: Groningen Mother's country of birth: Holland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Home